Ice fishermen advised to be patient and prudent

If ice fishing in these latitudes is part of your winter prescription to ease cabin fever, wait another week or two and hope for colder weather.

That is the general advice for most of this region, from Mitchell's Bay, Ontario, on Lake St. Clair, to western Lake Erie's Bass Islands and across inland northwest Ohio. Some shanties, however, are active in southeast Michigan's Irish Hills area, though authorities generally are recommending patience.

The state's Lake LaSuAn chain of lakes in Williams County was set to open for ice fishing this week, but the season there has been delayed at least till next week because of currently unsafe conditions, said Larry Goedde, fish management supervisor for Ohio Wildlife District 2.

Goedde recommends that anglers call the LaSuAn check-station Monday morning for an update and possible reservations for fishing on Jan. 16 and 19.

The tenuous ice conditions at LaSuAn generally are reflective of conditions across impoundments and ponds in northwest Ohio, Goedde added.

At Bass Haven on Mitchell's Bay, some anglers are fishing on marina ice for yellow perch, panfish and crappie, but overall conditions are unstable, said Cathy Shaw there.

Pat Chrysler, veteran ice guide at Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island on Lake Erie, said that some ice has formed but it is snow-covered and unstable, and blown about by winds. “It will probably be another two weeks,” he summed. Most winters at least some fishable ice usually forms around the islands, if not elsewhere on the lake.

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A near-record 22,088deer were taken in Ohio's four-day “black powder” or primitive weapons hunting season over the holidays.

The total was just below the record 22,513 taken in the same season in 2001, and it contributes to an overall record all-seasons deer bag for 2002, the Ohio Division of Wildlife said. Since the opening of archery season in early October, more than 191,324 deer have been taken, including 133,163 during the week-long shotgun season after Thanksgiving, 36,073 in the first six weeks of archery season, and the black powder season bag.

The former all-seasons high bag for Ohio was 179,543 in 1995. Archery season remains open through Jan. 31, and final archery totals may add another 3,000 or so deer to the 2002 total, said Mike Tonkovich, a division biologist. Ohio's pre-season deer herd was at a record 575,000, and liberal regulations were set to reduce the overall numbers.

Thursday and Friday - Public trap and skeet shooting, 6 to 11 p.m., United Conservation and Outdoor Association of Hancock County, Township Road 243 north of U.S. 224, east of Findlay, call Don Borkosky, 419-427-4236.